Conventional residential and commercial oven appliances generally include a cabinet that defines a cooking chamber for receipt of food items for cooking. Heating elements are positioned within the cooking chamber to provide heat to food items located therein. The heating elements can include, for example, radiant heating elements, such as a bake heating assembly positioned at a bottom of the cooking chamber and/or a broil heating assembly positioned at a top of the cooking chamber.
When cooking certain food items, it may be important to check or monitor the temperature of the food item, e.g., in order to ensure the food item is adequately cooked. In some instances, a temperature probe may be provided. For example, the temperature probe may be inserted into the food item to provide a measurement of the food item's temperature. Although such probes may accurately detect temperature, they risk becoming damaged if exposed to excessive surrounding temperatures. Specifically, the electronic components of some temperature probes may be irreparably damaged if heated to over 250° Celsius (C.). It is possible for such damage to occur if the temperature probe is left in or on a food item after the food item is placed into the cooking chamber of an oven. Due, at least in part, to the relatively small size of most temperature probe, it is possible for a temperature probe to accidentally fall or be inserted into an oven chamber during a high-heat, non-cooking operation, such as a self-cleaning operation. The risk of damage to the temperature probe may be especially problematic if the temperature probe includes a battery.
Accordingly, an appliance and method for detecting temperature of a food item without the use of a battery-powered temperature probe would be useful. More specifically, an appliance and method for use with a temperature probe preventing high-heat damage to a temperature probe would be advantageous.